Inspiring initiative Archives - Page 2 of 5

The Living Lab Experiment in Graz

Jun 21, 2023 | Austria, Clean Energy, Inspiring initiative, Sustainable Mobility

The Living Lab Experiment at Griesplatz in Graz involves engaging local stakeholders in the smart redesign of the square, which plays a vital role as a traffic hub. This includes residents in the vicinity, cyclists, pedestrians, and marginalized groups. The EU project (Urban Europe) and the University of Graz facilitate the Living Lab which is the second oldest and largest in Austria. The initiative has a long-term Smart City Strategy that prioritizes mobility measures, such as public transport, e-mobility, and city logistics. The University of Technology Graz is also a project partner.

A holistic approach to public spaces

Jun 21, 2023 | Belgium, Inspiring initiative, Sustainable Mobility

Zilveren Linten, commissioned by the District of Antwerp, is an initiative focused on creating short and safe walking routes that cater specifically to the needs of the elderly population. This project aims to address the challenges faced by seniors when navigating city streets, considering their reduced physical mobility and increased risk of injury. By collaborating with external partners and incorporating valuable input from senior citizens, Zilveren Linten strives to not only improve the physical infrastructure but also raise awareness, encourage co-creation, and foster participation in the process.

Revolutionizing mobility through ride-sharing benches

Jun 21, 2023 | Germany, Inspiring initiative, Sustainable Mobility

The ride-sharing bench is centrally located on the village street, inviting people to comfortably sit down and indicate their desire for a ride. Destination signs in five directional alternatives in the area, indicating where people want to go. By identifying the direction and destination of each bench’s occupant(s), drivers willing to give someone a ride can easily connect with them. The initiative is characterised by the positive feedback loop: The more benches are installed in different localities, the shorter the waiting time will be for people sitting on the benches and the larger the network of possible destinations becomes.

A creative solution for social interaction, and mobility

Jun 21, 2023 | Belgium, Inspiring initiative, Sustainable Mobility

Village Point originated in small villages where all local shops had vanished, and its primary objective is to foster resource sharing and collaborative solutions among the residents. It encompasses three key domains: services, social interaction, and mobility.

Inclusive bike access and cycling education

Jun 21, 2023 | Inspiring initiative, Ireland, Sustainable Mobility

The Bike Hub, in collaboration with various partners, operates community bike shops in Dun Laoghaire and Dublin City as a social enterprise. Their primary goal is to promote a cycling culture and ensure the activity is accessible to a wide range of individuals within the local communities.

Empowering small farmers through the cocoa initiative in Brazil

Jun 21, 2023 | Brazil, Farm to Fork, Inspiring initiative

Starting in 2012, in the municipality of São Félix do Xingu, in southeastern Pará, the initiative has supported 310 family members with the “Cocoa More Sustainable” project to enhance the recovery and regeneration of around 1,000 hectares of cocoa plantations through agroforestry systems. 

Seeds of transformation: Empowering communities through green jobs and food justice

Jun 21, 2023 | Farm to Fork, Inspiring initiative, USA

The initiative focuses on creating employment opportunities in the green sector for individuals transitioning from incarceration. Since 2009, the project has established more than 550 permaculture gardens in the San Francisco Bay Area, enabling people to grow their own food.

Training Roma people to move them out of their deprived situation

Jun 20, 2023 | Farm to Fork, Hungary, Inspiring initiative

The Kiút programme is a work-integrated training program in which vulnerable Roma people with a predominantly minority background are provided with training and mentoring on how to grow cucumbers on their land and generate income by selling the surplus through companies contracted by the program maintainers. In addition to practical agricultural, entrepreneurial, and accounting skills, underserved, vulnerable people learn pro-environmental values and obtain education about sustainable food production and consumption. 

Rethinking production and consumption

Jun 20, 2023 | Clean Energy, Climate Action, Inspiring initiative, Poland

The Zero Waste Association aims to promote a zero-waste lifestyle by gathering local leaders, professionals, and change agents willing to participate in the organisation’s mission; transforming production and consumption patterns towards a circular economy. This enterprising idea suggests environmentally friendly solutions to fasten the just transition to a greener way of living for the benefit of the environment and the community.

The development of the agri-food and socio-economic model

Jun 20, 2023 | Biodiversity, Farm to Fork, Inspiring initiative, Spain

ACCTING aims to understand the impact of Green Deal policies on vulnerable groups, prevent inequalities, and produce knowledge and innovations to advance behavioural change at individual and collective levels for an inclusive and equal European Green Deal. This...